Recently we have seen a number of incidents where activists vandalized art in museums. This brings up the question: Is art in museums and our artistic patrimony the enemy of ecology? I contend that art and ecology are not at odds with each other but both are equals in shared status as humanity’s patrimony. Art vandals and iconoclasts are enemies of the patrimony of humanity (which includes ecology). Indeed, vandalism that targets art and the artistic patrimony is criminal behavior and not legitimate activism or acceptable means of protest. Period!
As an American, I am of course very loyal to our beautiful constitution. Americans take their constitution very seriously and argue constantly on its interpretation. Breaking one’s constitutional rights can land the guilty party in a federal prison. As an Italian, I’m very loyal to the beautiful Italian constitution as well, and believe that there is one article of that constitution that should be held sacred. Article 9 of the Italian Constitution states that the Italian Republic must promote culture and scientific and technical research and must protect the nation’s artistic and historical patrimony. That part of the article was written in 1947, but in 2022, they amended it adding that the Republic must also protect the environment, biodiversity and the ecosystems.
In the spirit of article 9 of the Italian Constitution, art and ecology are included together and viewed as integral parts of the nation’s patrimony and future. To attack art in the name of ecology is an absolute mistake and a crime against the nation and humanity (in reality, all artistic patrimony is the patrimony of humanity as is our environment).
Even on an international level, UNESCO combines both cultural property and the environment. Their website declares, “The most significant feature of the 1972 World Heritage Convention is that it links together in a single document the concepts of nature conservation and the preservation of cultural properties.” There are 1,154 World Heritage Sites in 167 States (58 of them are in Italy), of which 897 are cultural, 218 are natural and the remainder are mixed properties.
The recent acts of vandalism have grabbed media attention at major museums around the globe to protest the operations of big oil companies and the damage the fossil fuel industries cause to our environment. A custard pie was thrown at the Monalisa, tomato soup at Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” and mashed potatoes at Monet’s “Les Meules”. Others glued their hands to paintings: the frame of Constable’s “The Hay Wain,” Picasso’s “Massacre en Corée”, Botticelli’s “La Primavera”, to name a few.
These young criminals are only targeting the artworks in museums because they want attention and, more importantly, a museum is what law enforcement considers a “soft target” —- very easy to enter and maneuver in, and where the guards will treat them gently and professionally. Furthermore, the legal consequences of these cases have to date, been light.
The activists’ real targets are the big oil companies, not the art or the art museums. But oil companies are not soft targets, they would be hard to enter, and the consequences would be much more serious. It would take real courage, and firm resolve, to target their real enemies, but they choose to take the easy way out for their sensationalized headline– grabbing antics; they are hypocrites and vandals seeking attention.
Think about how profound Article 9 of the Italian Constitution is. It states that the government must protect art and the environment. And it must also promote culture and scientific research. All nations should have similar amendments and articles in their constitutions. In America, so many heated arguments revolve endlessly around the 1st and the 2nd amendment. Imagine if the U.S. Constitution included something like Article 9 of the Italian Constitution. Then there would be a valid argument on behalf of the environment and our artistic patrimony that could be taken all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Wouldn’t it be better if these activists started directing their energy toward a legal and more respectful fight of establishing amendments to the constitutions of their respected nations?
In any case, it is only a matter of time before serious damage will be done to an artwork. The climate activists need to stop their criminal activity in our museums, museums must have their security on high alert to intervene before vandalism is committed and protestors must keep their hands off humanity’s art and cultural patrimony!
